Communications between a mobile device and a corresponding node are processed in a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network through GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) serving nodes. The GPRS serving nodes include an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) and a GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node). Such communication exchange between the mobile device and the corresponding node involve communication exchange between the mobile device and the SGSN. Communication exchanges such as user plane communication (i.e. IP data traffic) between the mobile device and the SGSN node use one or more PDP (Packet Data Protocol) contexts. There may be many PDP contexts depending on how many different applications of the mobile device are communicating over PDP contexts. Typically each primary PDP context is associated with an IP address. So if an application on the mobile device requires an IP address, a PDP context needs to be set up. However, the number of concurrent PDP contexts for the mobile device may be limited by the number of concurrent PDP contexts supported in the routing area in which the mobile device resides.
If more services using a PDP context are requested by the user than are supported by the network then there may be some sort of multiplexing by virtue of which some services are delayed, etc.